


stuck

by stardustgirl



Series: AU of an AU [5]
Category: Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: AU of an AU, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Angst, Ezra always gets the short end of the stick, Ezra’s an edgy teen, Imperial AU, Manipulation, So much angst, The Imperial foster care system is actual trash, in every AU I write, lowkey brainwashing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-07
Updated: 2018-10-07
Packaged: 2019-07-27 18:44:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16225067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardustgirl/pseuds/stardustgirl
Summary: “It ended fine!  I got out,” he argued.“I wouldn’t consider ‘fine’ having a blaster charge to the arm and a limp that persists to this day,” the man countered dryly.|~~~|Ezra doesn't expect anything to change.  But that doesn't mean he's going to stop trying.{AU of the Collapse(s) Imperial AU}





	stuck

He’s on his feet and running before the ‘trooper even realizes he’s slipped out of his grasp.

“Hey, kid!”

Ezra glances back just long enough to see the stormtrooper following, yelling into his comm about backup.

But he knows the streets of his homeworld better than the Empire ever will.

Thought apparently, some of their recruits are also Lothali, he realizes as he runs smack into the plastoid-armored chest of a ‘trooper who looks the farthest from happy at his sudden appearance, even _with_ the helmet on.

He falls backward, landing on his rear on the rough duracrete and ignoring the small pain as he scrambles backward, trying to stand as he does so.  The stormtrooper doesn’t care, however, and simply grabs him by the front of his shirt and drags him to his feet.

He doesn’t bother resisting as binders are clipped around his wrists and he’s pulled along by his collar, stumbling back down the alley and onto the adjoining street.  Catching sight of the ‘trooper he first ran from, along with the dark gray duracrete building behind, he starts to struggle, only to receive a sharp cuff on the back of the head for his efforts.

“Kid ran off again.”  The ‘trooper who put him in binders shoves him forward and he takes a half step before nearly falling.

He doesn’t try resisting again as he’s led with no small amount of force to the building.

Once inside, the ‘trooper shoves him down into one of the chairs in the waiting room, comms the caretaker.  Ezra waits in apprehensive silence, taps his fingers to the beat of a song that would definitely earn him another smack from the Lothali ‘trooper.  The one currently with him, however, is none the wiser.

The caretaker finally appear and dismisses the ‘trooper.  Ezra won’t try anything while he’s here.

They both know this.

“Why do you keep running, Ezra?  It’s useless. You won’t get anywhere.  Do you really want to be out there, on the streets, alone?  You’ll just make yourself miserable.” Ezra snorted, rolling his eyes but earning only a raised eyebrow from the caretaker.  “You have no plan. No relatives, no friends, no ship. Do you really want to be homeless when you could have a roof under your head, food and water, clothes, and protection from the gangs?  I know you’ve had run-ins with several of them, and none ended well.”

“It ended fine!  I got out,” he argued.

“I wouldn’t consider ‘fine’ having a blaster charge to the arm and a limp that persists to this day,” the caretaker countered dryly.

Ezra’s gaze finally dropped and he nodded slowly.

“So what are you going to do differently?”

“Not run,” he muttered, fiddling with the zipper on his jacket.

“I couldn’t hear that.”

He swallowed hard, raising his voice as he repeated himself.

“Good, Ezra.  Now give me your hands.”  He raised the binders, still avoiding the caretaker’s gaze.  The man unlocked them easily, removing them as Ezra quickly withdrew and rubbed his wrists.  The caretaker’s voice became more professional, a far cry from the near-sympathetic tone that had saturated his voice before.  “Head to your room. I don’t want to see you again till tomorrow. And because of that stunt you pulled, no dinner.”

The teen nodded, standing wordlessly and returning to playing with the jacket zipper as he left.


End file.
